Page 9 of Cruel Devotion

Fuck this.

“If you’re not going to help me, you can fucking leave,” I hissed.

“I can smell it. The heady scent of his seed.” He was ignoring me again.

“You’re sick.” He reached through the bars and I moved just out of the way. His fingers danced in the air over exposed skin. The light illuminated bite marks.

“I haven’t even done anything yet,” he mumbled.

Using logic wasn’t going to work here. This man wasn’t in his right head.

“Where am I? What does… Darius want with me?” One was a monster who wanted to use me like a pet, and the other a man who wanted to hear about it. When he didn’t answer, I tried again.

“Please. I don’t want to be here.” The man’s brows kissed and his eyes softened. His hand disappeared behind him. There was a jingling of keys and then I stared at him as he paused by a lock. Understanding, I held it while he pushed it in. My throat went dry as it clicked. The cell door opened. Yanking on the chain, it fell to the ground. He pushed the bars, and the door creaked as it gave way.

It didn’t make sense, but it didn’t matter. My hopes soared as I stood on wobbly feet. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of me. Filling my space and blocking my path. Arching my neck, those eyes that reminded me of lightning sent a chill down my spine. Taking a step back, he mirrored me.

I was now in a cell with a man.

“Thank you,” I rasped, refusing to let go of that newfound hope.

“Oh, Bunny, I’m not here to help you.”

“My name’s not Bunny, it’s Eloise.”

Because that’s what I should be upset about.

“Why not?” I whined, trying to focus on the real problem.

“I don’t want to.” Once again, his comforting tone warred against the words he spoke. He placed the torch on the wall as I retreated. I blinked and his shirt disappeared. His face glitched from man to silver wolf and back.

I was wrong. He wasn’t a man.

“What are you?” Putting my hands up as if I could keep him away.

“Am I not human enough for you?” He ran his finger down my arm, but I felt claws.

“You’re not hu—”

“Beast. A gifted one. You see what I want you to see.” He reached for me and eager to get away, I stumbled back. Falling, I grasped at air until a thick arm wrapped around my waist and he pulled me close.

“We shared a womb. What’s his is mine.”

If he was glamoring his true self, it would make sense.

“But isn’t that something Fae do?” I whispered.

“Don’t you think it’s unfair he’s the only one who’s been inside you?” He ran his nails over his tattooed head.

I’m sure my face morphed in disgust, but he was too focused on howhewas wronged. I couldn’t use logic to talk to him; nothing here made sense. Book knowledge told me he should be a fae, even though he looked like a werewolf. But he didn’t have a human form. The man in front of me was an illusion, so the full moon probably didn’t have an effect on him.

“No, no, I don’t,” I rasped. He bit down on his lip seductively, and his eyes roamed down to my shoulder. He poked it and I twitched from the pain.

“I don’t know how to feel about this. He was in such a rush, he didn’t even make it back. We could have taken you together, but he had a taste without me. But that’s not it, is it? He didn’t take a bite. What could it mean? What could you mean?” He wasn’t even talking to me at this point, but I needed to be part of this conversation. As much as I wanted to punch him, it wouldn’t do anything.

What could I do against a monster?

“Am I special?” His attention snapped to mine.

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